Kes Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The people over on Thunder and Lightnings website recommend not to buy this book,well, I was on the verge of doing so when I noticed this recomendation, Okay Mr.B seem a decent enough chap and I'm prepared to take the advise but curiosity has me wondering what's wrong with the book to warrant such a recomendation?? . . . Kes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atdb27 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The people over on Thunder and Lightnings website recommend not to buy this book,well, I was on the verge of doing so when I noticed this recomendation, Okay Mr.B seem a decent enough chap and I'm prepared to take the advise but curiosity has me wondering what's wrong with the book to warrant such a recomendation??. . . Kes Hi Kes, Can't seem to find the ref you are refering to ? Have you a link please? Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamS Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 PM Damian - he's on this site. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham T Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) I've got it & can't see any reason not to buy it . I checked their site & see what you mean but if they are going to claim it's not worth buying, the least they could do is indicate why. Strange. Edited December 5, 2009 by Graham T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter O Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 To the moderators: Hopefully this posting won't violate any BM policies or cause an uproar... if it does, please feel free to remove it. I'm only attempting to answer the OP's question. Firstly, all of the aviation books that I own by Tim Laming and Tim McLelland are excellent. If you look at other sections of Thunder and Lightnings, you'll find that all of Laming's books are similarly non-recommended. For instance, in the Vulcan section... "V-Bombers by Tim Laming. Recent revelations mean we can no longer advise purchase of this volume. " That's clearly not a complaint about the content of the book. According to one of his book jacket bios (I forget which), Laming lives with his partner, who is also male. A search of amazon.com under Laming and McLelland (his current last name) shows several gay lifestyle books by Laming. His name change appears to have taken place in the early to mid-2000s. I've also seen an extensive Vulcan thread authored by Laming on another forum that was moderated when his lifestyle became the subject of discussion rather than the Vulcan. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidelvy Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) I find this rather sad. It seems the non-recommendation is because of Mr Laming's personal life. Does the book make any references to his life choices or make any recommendations in that regard? I have not read it but suspect not. Giving a non-recommendation due to "recent revelations" clearly misleads the reader into thinking that there is something wrong with the publication or that the reputation of the writer has been discredited in some way. I hope this was an unintended consequence of trying to deal with an issue sensitively. Sometimes these things are beter tackled head-on. If you chose not to recommend an author because you disagree with his or her lifestyle then say so, but be prepared to answer those who disagree with you. Edited December 5, 2009 by davidelvy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter O Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 ... Does the book make any references to his life choices or make any recommendations in that regard?... The book jacket flap of Avro Vulcan - A Complete History says this: "He currently lives in Sheffield with his partner Mark." Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidelvy Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) The book jacket flap of Avro Vulcan - A Complete History says this:"He currently lives in Sheffield with his partner Mark." Peter So not part of the main text, then. Edited December 5, 2009 by davidelvy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I've got it too, it's a good book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gishuk Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 its a bit pathetic if they wont recommend the book purely because the guy who wrote it is gay really pathetic in fact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahut Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) It is a sellers, reviewers or publishers right to shun an author because of his lifestyle. Just as it is the authors personal choice to pursue and endorse that lifestyle himself. Which Tim Laming does unabashedly, I'll add. Personally, I don't endorse the homosexual lifestyle. Don't get it, never will. Would I refrain from buying a book because the author was a homosexual? No. Would I condemn the work itself, because the author was homosexual? No, again. What should bother us all is that the reviewers in question don't have the "danglies" to say WHY they reject the book. They use obfuscating language, without ever making their point: the author is gay, so they don't like him - or his work. They will claim they are being conscientious or "nice." But it's really cowardly and damaging, the ultimate cheap shot. Hey 'Thunder and Lightning' - I'd prefer you just come out an' say what you mean about Mr. Laming, eh? I wont hold your freedom of opinion against you. Then tell me about the book. I'll can make my own decision if I should buy it... not you. Edited December 5, 2009 by dahut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham T Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 The book jacket flap of Avro Vulcan - A Complete History says this:"He currently lives in Sheffield with his partner Mark." Peter Scroll down that link to the reviews & it appears that he is accused of plagiarism too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 both parties can at times be rather vocal on forums and i believe their is alot of bad blood between the two. although i would have to say that from another forum i frequent, from the posts that person makes he appears to have calmed down alot. nothing wrong with the buccaneer book even if you dont agree with the persons private life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skii Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Guys I'm a little uncomfortable with this thread, firstly because Tim is an ex-member of Britmodeller and unable to reply or defend himself on these forums, regardless of his reasons for not being a member of BM any more I'm not happy with discussions regarding other modellers and particularly their sexuality which is an entirely private matter that should have ZERO bearing as to how they are treated by people. It is no secret that Damien Burke and Tim Laming do not exchange Christmas cards (as well as a few other individuals I could mention) but I'm also not happy about discussing their reasons why, this is between themselves and something again I don't want speculated upon here at Britmodeller. I think Andy van Halen sums it up best as above, and with that I'm going to lock this thread down as I can only see it going south from here. Thanks for understanding John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts